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7/15/2024
 HAPPENING NOW
Monday, July 15 2024
Much above normal to high coastal streamflows
July 15, 2024 805 am PDT
Streamflow Situation from the network of monitors of USGS CA Water Science Center
Much above seasonal normal to high streamflows light the USGS reference dashboard Monday through the coastal watersheds from San Fransico Bay down to San Diego. Highest flows in California Monday are 97th percentile in San Franscisco Bay area, 98th percentile at Loma Linda Region 8 San Bernadino County. The lowest flow level recorded is a 1st percentile flow on the New River in Region 7 Colorado River basin, Imperial County. As of this report, there are no active floodings or extreme high flows recorded in the reference network.
WT HAB Tracker from state sources and where available, the satellite monitoring program of the NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
New York
A clear image of Lake Champlain was snapped by Copernicus-Sentinel III satellite Sunday showing the expanding HAB mass in the northeast moving out of Baie Missisquoi toward Alburg Springs and the Alburg-Swanton Bridge at a high concentration 700 to 800 thousand cells per 100 ml. Hot spots in this HAB are found at the north shore in Canada, a hot patch near the east shore of the bay and another spot in open water north of Missisquoi Wildlife National Wildlife Refuge where concentrations are 1.5 million to 2 million cells per 100 ml.
From the NYS HABs reporting center, we are looking at ninety-four confirmed HABs in the interior freshwater lakes and streams of NY, up from eighty-seven on the weekend. Water bodies impacted for the first time this season are Port Bay and Park Station Pond. The latest list of water bodies impacted by HABs is found here.
Louisiana: A nice clear picture from the NCCOS taken Sunday July 14 at 6.6 mph shows a clean and clear Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas. The hot spots in this image are the inland water of Wetland Watchers Park at 2 million cells per 100 ml and the water between Bayou Shaffer and the Avoca Island cutoff south of Morgan City and Avoca, south of Lake Palourde reaching 1 to 2 million cells per 100 ml throughout the water body. High concentration lakewide HABs remain in Lake Verret and Lake Palourde, 800 to 900 thousand cells per 100 ml. Southeast LA water bodies at are captured in a wide angle pass by the Copernicus-Sentinel III satellite, with Lake Pontchartrain to Avoca Cutoff to Black Bay in frame. The latest image was captured July 14, updates are in progress. The last HAB report for Louisiana is available here.
California: Algal toxin alerts have been posted around Discovery Bay, Clear Lake, Lake Temescal, San Antonio Lake, Forbes Creek according to the weekly update from California Water Boards Freshwater HABs monitoring program. Beach signage bearing the captions DANGER or WARNING state "Toxins from the algae in this water can harm humans and kill animals", followed by a string of safety measures. For the latest report, click here.
Ohio: Lake Erie west basin HABs were captured in full color clear image Saturday July 13 at a surface wind speed 4.3 mph, making for a reliable assessment of the HAB extent, expanding in the west basin and dissipating in Sandusky Bay. Saturday's capture shows the Lake Erie HAB stretching from the Ohio and Michigan shorelines further into open water, the feature we described as a five mile wide band extending from the west shore centered around Monroe fifteen nautical miles into open water now appears 8 or 9 nm wide now seen encircling West Sister Island and up to 7 nm north from there. At the Ohio shoreline, the HAB fills Maumee Bay State Park, wraps Cedar Point and extends up the shoreline in a narrow band as far as Camp Perry. The Sandusky Bay bloom Aphanizomenon appears to be breaking up, a smaller area of dispersed HABs 700 to 800 thousand cells per 100 ml. The latest Ohio HAB report is available here.
Georgia: According to the USGS, Georgia is one of six states in the USA where no anecdotal reports have been made of HAB toxin-related poisonings. Scant information is available information on the presence of HABs, including a single account from Chattahoochee River Keeper of a suspected animal death related to HABS several years ago. Georgia Environmental Protection Division takes reports on suspicious algal blooms from the public and from the Shoreline Managers of the Power Lakes, the impoundment lakes created by the network of hydroelectric dams in Georgia. One HAB report was made to Georgia EPD in all of 2023. According to EPD spokesperson Sara Lips, there have been no HAB reports so far in 2024. The Georgia Healthy Beaches program of Coastal Public Health tests beaches for bacteria, posting permanent and temporary advisories to warn the public. The latest Georgia beach advisories are available here.
See the North American drainage basin map here, scroll all the way down to see how surface water moves across the continent into the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Oceans. WT Media Group tells the story of water in three countries, Canada, USA and Mexico. See the drinking water advisories, hazardous spills, floods, drought and harmful algal blooms plotted on the maps, as the water flows. Check out the CrimeBox for historic prosecutions under the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act box for details on public drinking water facilities, interviews with the scientists and tech developers on the leading edge of clean water technology here.
As many drinking water facilities are supplied from surface water reservoirs, the streamflow situation is pertinent to both drinking water supply and quality. High flows can stir up sediment and cause turbidity in the reservoirs, requiring additional treatments to render the water potable. Low flow volume is linked to warmer temperatures in the reservoir and can be an issue for water quality where HABs are present. WT tracks streamflow trends with an eye to the impacts on drinking water supply and quality in each of the state's watersheds. Check the watershed layer on the map to see the direction of flow and streamflows that may be impacting drinking water today.
USGS Provisional Data Statement
Data are provisional and subject to revision until they have been thoroughly reviewed and received final approval. Current condition data relayed by satellite or other telemetry are automatically screened to not display improbable values until they can be verified.
Provisional data may be inaccurate due to instrument malfunctions or physical changes at the measurement site. Subsequent review based on field inspections and measurements may result in significant revisions to the data.
Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it for decisions that concern personal or public safety or the conduct of business that involves substantial monetary or operational consequences. Information concerning the accuracy and appropriate uses of these data or concerning other hydrologic data may be obtained from the USGS.
Harmful Algal Blooms: WT follows the movement and growth of harmful algal blooms (HABs) as provided by the satellite monitoring program of the NCCOS for New York's Lake Champlain, Ohio's Lake Erie and Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain and surrounding area. Interpretation of satellite images is best in clear conditions at wind speed less than 4 mph, where the appearance and extent of HABs is reliably matched to a color scale for concentration. HABs are known to produce algal toxins of concern for raw drinking water sources and recreational water bodies. Plan beach access to avoid HABs and consider carrying a rapid test kit to detect the toxin microcystins.
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